Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering at Texas Tech University

Texas Tech's environmental engineering graduates earn $76,708 in their first year—impressively strong for the field, landing in the 95th percentile nationally and well above the national median of $64,675. However, this program sits at just the 60th percentile within Texas, meaning other in-state environmental engineering programs produce even higher earners. With only six Texas schools offering this degree, your child might want to explore how Texas Tech stacks up against those specific alternatives, particularly if staying in-state matters for tuition purposes.

The debt picture looks manageable at $19,750, translating to a healthy debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.26. That means graduates carry roughly three months of salary in debt—a sustainable level that shouldn't derail financial goals. The combination of strong earnings and moderate debt makes this a fundamentally sound investment.

The major caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes could vary more than usual. Still, for a reasonably accessible engineering program (71% admission rate), these results suggest Texas Tech prepares students well for the environmental engineering job market. If your child is serious about this field and Texas Tech feels like a good fit otherwise, the financial fundamentals support moving forward—just know that other Texas programs might offer slightly better earning potential.